Pokémon Go gets people moving, but not enough

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Pokémon Go was the newest craze over the summer, and millions are still playing it. People buried in their phones, walking around the neighborhoods, trying to catch fantasy creatures. We've reported on the dangerous side of the game - but what about health benefits?

Researchers at Harvard University analyzed the movement of players, and concluded that hunting the digital demons does not count as a real work out.

They calculated that Pokémon Go encourages people to take an average of 955 extra steps per day in the first week after downloading the game.

If each player walks 2.5 miles per hour, they'll walk an extra 11 minutes every day.

Sounds good, right? Well, not so fast.

The World Health Organization recommends adults get 150 minutes of physical activity each week, that averages out to just over 21 minutes every day. That's double what Pokémon Go users normally end up getting .. and that's just in the first week.

After six weeks researchers found that players are normally back to their old habits, with the work-out routine they had before downloading the game.